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A university in D.C. is participating in what Dr. Anthony Fauci called a “truly historic event”—and it’s looking for volunteers to help make that happen.

The United States’ first final-stage clinical trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine began on Monday, and George Washington University will be among the nearly 90 sites around the country to test the experimental vaccine on hundreds of volunteers. The vaccine now in phase three is developed by the biotech company Moderna in partnership with the National Institutes of Health. 

“If we do have a very effective vaccine that prevents people from getting sick from the infection, then we could conceive of life going back to relative normal—if a sufficient number of people actually got vaccinated to interrupt transmission, so we don’t have to worry anymore,” says Dr. David Diemert, with the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the principal investigator of the clinical trial at the university.

“I just hope that people are willing to and wanting to participate,” says Elissa Malkin, an assistant research professor of medicine at GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and co-investigator on the trial. “It’s really making a contribution to the future, not just to today.”

The first person to be given a shot for the phase three trial was a woman in Savannah, Georgia, on Monday at 6:45 a.m. GW’s site will “activate” on Friday, and the hope is to give all 500 volunteers the first of two doses within two months time. How does one volunteer? Read about the trial experience and the search for a vaccine in the full story online. 

—Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com)

CITY DESK LINKS, by Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com)     

  • As of July 28, D.C. reported one death related to COVID-19 and 87 new positive cases, bringing the total numbers to 583 and 11,945, respectively. [EOM] 

  • Have you entered into a payment plan with your landlord because you cannot afford rent? Perhaps your landlord forgave your rent entirely? Let City Paper know by filling out a short survey. [WCP]

  • D.C. has hit at least 90 degrees on 25 days, matching a 2011 record. [Post]

  • Police chiefs for three departments in the D.C. area have resigned or retired. [NBC4]

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • D.C. will open 80 polling places for the General Election in November in addition to two early voting centers in each ward. [DCist]

  • EagleBank concluded witness testimony in ongoing government investigations that cost the company millions in legal bills. [WBJ]

  • Susan Rice might consider running for a Senate seat if D.C. attains statehood. [NYT]

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Laura Hayes (tips? lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • Soupergirl co-owner Sara Polon pays a private doctor $800 per week to test her employees but says it isn’t enough to keep them safe. [WCP]

  • A new sake delivery service debuts in D.C. [WCP]

  • It’s schnitzel week at Old Europe. [PoPville]

ARTS LINKS, by Kayla Randall (tips? krandall@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The House votes in favor of creating the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino. [DCist]

  • Actor and playwright James J. Johnson discusses his play, WANNABE, about growing up Black in Front Royal. [DC Theatre Scene]

  • A local man is petitioning for a new, pandemic-era mask emoji. [Washingtonian] 

SPORTS LINKS, by Kelyn Soong (tips? ksoong@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Dr. Anthony Fauci may not have thrown a particularly good ceremonial first pitch, but his baseball card broke Topps’ sales record in just 24 hours. [USA Today]

  • The Wizards finish the scrimmage period prior to the NBA restart without a win. [Bullets Forever]

  • It’ll be a rematch of the two WNBA Finals teams tonight when the Mystics take on the Connecticut Sun. [ESPN]

CITY LIGHTS, by Emma Sarappo (Love this section? Get the full newsletter here. Tips? esarappo@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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